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26 March 2004

Magnetic bacteria discoveries

Magnetotactic bacteria are like living compass needles that can align themselves with Earth's magnetic field. These bacteria, which were discovered 30 years ago, propel themselves by means of rotating, whip-like flagella powered by molecular motors. Their response to magnetic fields is provided by a row of microscopic magnets called magnetosomes, each of which contains crystals of magnetic iron oxide or iron sulfide.

Dennis A. Bazylinski and Richard B. Frankel have written a review article that describes what is known, and remains to be learned, about these fascinating bacteria. Their article, "Magnetosome Formation in Prokaryotes," appears in Nature Reviews Microbiology 2, 217 -230 (2004).

A comprehensive summary of this paper is available at www.nature.com. Look for a link to the paper under the header "Bacterial mini-magnets." Forrest M. Mims III.